1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exhaust systems and mufflers for use with internal combustion marine engines, and more particularly to a water drop marine engine muffler that uses centrifugal force and turbulence to separate entrained water from marine exhaust gas thereby combining improved water separation and handling characteristics with enhanced noise reduction.
2. Description of Related Art
Marine vessels are typically configured with a propulsion system having an internal combustion engine mounted internally within the vessel hull. Exhaust generated by the engine is commonly combined with cooling water and routed through exhaust conduit to the stern or rear of the vessel via one or more exhaust ducts for discharge through one or more exhaust ports formed in the transom. One or more silencers may be installed within the exhaust duct(s) to silence noise associated with the engine and exhaust gases.
A variety of structures are known in the background art for use in silencing marine exhaust noise. The present inventor has invented a number of novel marine exhaust components that have greatly improved the silencing and efficiency of marine exhaust systems. Among those inventions developed by a named inventor for the present invention are the following:
U.S. Pat. No.Entitled4,918,917Liquid Cooled Exhaust Flange5,196,655Muffler for Marine Engines5,228,876Marine Exhaust System Component Comprising a HeatResistant Conduit5,262,600In-line Insertion Muffler for Marine Engines5,444,196In-line Insertion Muffler for Marine Engines5,504,280Muffler for Marine Engines5,616,893Reverse Entry Muffler With Surge Suppression Feature5,625,173Single Baffle Linear Muffler for Marine Engines5,718,462Muffler Tube Coupling With Reinforcing Inserts5,740,670Water Jacketed Exhaust Pipe for Marine ExhaustSystems.6,564,901Muffler for Marine Engine
The present inventor's prior advancements in the art have been primarily directed to muffler structures wherein water generally remains entrained with the exhaust gas. In certain applications, however, it is desirable to separate water from exhaust gas. In these situations, the use of a muffler capable of receiving a mixture of exhaust and entrained water and separating at least a portion of the water from the exhaust gas is required. Such mufflers are sometimes referred to as “water drop mufflers”. Water separation effectiveness is a primary concern for water drop mufflers.
A typical water drop muffler is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,877, issued to Harbert. Harbert discloses a water drop muffler that relies primarily on gravity to separate the exhaust gas from the water. U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,939, issued to Smullin et al., discloses a marine engine silencer that attempts to dynamically separate water from exhaust gas by linear momentum effect or centrifugal effect. Smullin distinguishes muffler structures that separate water from exhaust gases by dynamic separation due to linear momentum or centrifugal effects from passive-restraining or non-dynamic effects, such as gravitational effects. Smullin claims to achieve centrifugal separation of water by providing a circular (or partially curved) interior surface that causes the fluid mixture to swirl. The structure disclosed by Smullin, however, is overly complex, dynamically inefficient, and otherwise fails to truly maximize the use of centrifugal forces to achieve water separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,630, issued to Ford et al., discloses a water drop muffler that primarily relies on centrifugal effects to separate entrained cooling water from exhaust gas. Ford discloses a generally cylindrical housing having a tangential inlet for receiving a mixture of exhaust gas and entrained cooling water, and an inlet baffle for deflecting the exhaust flow along the inner wall of the housing. The inlet baffle defines a parabolic trailing edge that Ford claims to have been found helpful in imparting the desired swirling pattern to the fluid mixture admitted through the inlet pipe. Once separated from exhaust gas, the water exits the housing through a second pipe. The tangential inlet and baffle structure disclosed by Ford, however, comprises a fluid handling structure that is inefficient in a fluid dynamic sense, and thus fail to maximize the generation of centrifugal forces thereby resulting in less than optimal water separation performance.
The water drop mufflers disclosed in the art rely on overly complex structures and fail to maximize the use of centrifugal forces to separate entrained cooling water from exhaust gas. As a result there remains a need in the art for an improved water drop muffler that maximizes the use of centrifugal forces to achieve water separation.